Our Victory is in Christ, the Victorious One

 “and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Paul’s revelation, “Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish any trace of rebellion, as soon as you choose complete obedience.”  We have the authority to wage the warfare and court martial:  by dismantling strongholds being empowered by grace and the Gospel; by demolishing arguments, opinions, theories and philosophies; by taking captive every thought to insist that it become obedient to the mind of Christ; by standing ready and willing to wage war and defeat the enemy.  Our victory is that we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We put on the whole armor of God, and are able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We take up the whole armor of God, to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, we stand. We gird our waist with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness, we shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, we take the shield of faith with which we are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. We take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and we pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.  This is our victory because we are in Christ, the Victorious One.  Amen!

Believe in the Lord Jesus & be Saved from God’s Wrath

 “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jeremiah prophesied, “‘Pay attention, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. I, YAHWEH, am speaking to you. Do you not fear? Do you not tremble in awe in My Presence? I made the sand as a border for the sea, an ancient barrier that it does not pass. Though the waves roar and beat against it, they can neither go beyond it nor break through it.”  God is telling the stubborn people that they cannot see or hear the truth because they have become like the lie that they worship.  But Jeremiah is reminding the people of God’s judgment.  God is saying to His rebellious people that just as waves can’t prevail against the shore, they too will not succeed in defying Him.  Today, in the new covenant, God has done everything to remove sin from humanity through Jesus’s finished work on the Cross because sin has kept mankind from receiving God’s love.  Only the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus wipes it clean forever.  The Church is here to proclaim this glorious Gospel and if the people continue to defy God, His wrath is what rebellious people will not be able to stand.  The thought of burning in torment forever is terrifying.  Believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved.  Amen!

We Love Because God First Loved Us

 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Paul’s revelation, “Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving—all because God loves hilarious generosity!”  As Solomon said about what God hates, “Sin is a seed that brings a harvest; you’ll reap a heap of trouble with every seed you plant. For your investment in sins pays a full return— the full punishment you deserve!”  God loves: His people being kind to immigrants and needy strangers; righteousness in our affairs with others; us being just; us living in the Presence of God in the gates of Zion; His righteous people; the cheerful giver; those He chastens.  What a hope we have in God’s personal love for each of us and this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.  We love because He loved us first and showed His love for us that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let’s be generous with loving others seeing how God has loved us. Amen!

Enjoying God’s Presence in Christ

 “And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭KJV

Jeremiah prophesied, “If you make a promise in My Name, saying, ‘As surely as YAHWEH lives’ with truth, honesty, and integrity, then all other nations will desire His blessing and prosperity. They will shine and make their boast in Me.”  YAHWEH says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “As a plow breaks open untilled ground, break open your hard hearts. Do not sow good seed among thorns.”   God told His people that they must renounce every idol; never stray from God’s Presence; and live a life of integrity.  Today, the resurrected Christ is the Lord of our life, living in our heart.  So we must not allow any kind of idols in our heart.  Let’s enjoy His Presence and have integrity and purity in our lives to enjoy His Presence by allowing the seed of the Word of God to bring out the fruit of love and truth from our lives.  Let’s remove every unwanted behaviour and attitude from our lives and delight in God’s Presence as we meditate on His Word.  Amen!

Come, Lord Jesus

 “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV

Paul’s revelation, “You do well and excel in every respect—in unstoppable faith, in powerful preaching, in revelation knowledge, in your passionate devotion, and in sharing the love we have shown to you. So make sure that you also excel in grace-filled generosity.”  These are the features of godliness that are to be seen in our lives and ministries - that we excel in everything; we have unstoppable faith; we have an anointing of grace to speak the Word; we have revelation knowledge; we have passionate devotion; we show love; we are generous.  All this God has invested in us through our faith in the finished Work of Christ. What is the purpose?  The answer is, so that we can get on with the mandate Christ has given to His Church, His Body, and to bring souls to Christ so that He will come soon.  Maranatha!  This is what John said at the end of his vision in Revelation, “The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I Am coming quickly.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the holy believers. Amen!”

The New Covenant Blessings

 “and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jeremiah prophesied, “‘I will give you true shepherds who follow My heart, and they will feed you with revelation-knowledge and deep understanding.’ ” YAHWEH says, “When My children have increased and prospered in the land, then no one will mention the ark of the covenant of YAHWEH. It will never even come to mind. No one will remember it, miss it, or make another one.”  God has promised that He will restore His people to the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake by giving them godly leaders who follow God’s heart.  They are the key to the restoration prophesied here for God said through Paul, “And He has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers.”  Nowhere in Scripture is it seen that the ark of the covenant is to be found, rebuilt, or used again in the worship of YAHWEH.  This points to the new covenant which is the ever-increasing glory and where the people of God are the Temple of the Holy Ghost and carry God’s Presence.  How blessed are we in the New Covenant.  Amen!

The God of All Comfort

 “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Paul’s revelation was, “Even after we came into the province of Macedonia, we found no relief. We were restless and exhausted; troubles met us at every turn. Outwardly I faced conflicts and inwardly emotional turmoil.”  With great honesty, Paul discloses his feelings while in Macedonia of his outside battles and his inside surrender.  He was beset with adversaries who opposed him, problems and arguments within the church, and persecution at every turn. Paul was emotionally torn by all conflicts among the believers, and also feared for Titus’ safety, who was on his way to visit him.  He was concerned about how the Corinthians would receive his severe letter, and he indicated that he was worn down physically and emotionally.  Being honest about our emotions is the first step in finding comfort and peace.  Paul’s example as a leader opening his heart to his people should not be missed by this generation.  It is Paul who started this letter with “All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us. And just as we experience the abundance of Christ’s own sufferings, even more of God’s comfort will cascade upon us through our union with Christ. If troubles weigh us down, that just means that we will receive even more comfort to pass on to you for your deliverance! For the comfort pouring into us empowers us to bring comfort to you. And with this comfort upholding you, you can endure victoriously the same suffering that we experience.” Amen!

YAHWEH Is the Never-Failing Spring of Living Water

 “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jeremiah prophesied to call back Israel from Israel to worship the true and living God.  “My people are guilty of a double sin: they have abandoned Me, the Spring of Living Water, and they have dug for themselves cisterns — cracked cisterns that hold no water.”  The pleasure of God is to be the Source of Living Water within our innermost being.  Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, Whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. He longs to satisfy His chosen ones for their enjoyment.  He wants to dispense Himself into every part of our being until we are saturated and become His expression on earth.  To turn away from our Fountain to another source will take us to a dead end, and God calls it “sin”.  The true Spring of Living Water never fails us and is available for us to drink of Him and find restoration.  False gods and sources are impotent and as useless as cracked cisterns.  Living Waters flow from the Throne of God whereas broken cisterns hold the waters of the world and are hewn by human hands.  YAHWEH is the never-failing Spring of Living Water, let’s drink of Him.  Amen!

Maturing in our Faith in Christ

 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, And in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭KJV

Paul’s revelation, “Now, since we are God’s coworkers, we beg you not to take God’s marvelous grace for granted, allowing it to have no effect on your lives. For He says, I listened to you at the time of My favor. And the day when you needed salvation, I came to your aid. So can’t you see? Now is the time to respond to His favor! Now is the day of salvation!”  As Paul points out, how can we be in that category of people, who received God grace in vain, that Christ’s shed Blood and sacrifice made no difference to us? Isaiah had prophesied and Paul remembered it here, “YAHWEH says: “When the time of showing you favor has come, I will answer your heart’s cry. I will help you in the day of salvation, for I have fixed My eyes on you…”  Let’s mature in our faith, in our personal relationship with our Lord Jesus. For by grace we have been saved by faith. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ, it is His finished work on the Cross.  Faith is our part now, so we can co-labour effectively with Him as the Holy Spirit leads us, for we are accepted in the Beloved as the Father’s sons and daughters.  If we’re not doing that, we are in that sad position of receiving the grace of God in vain.  Amen!

The Power of Speaking God’s Word from Our Mouth by Faith

 “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jeremiah’s vision, “Then YAHWEH reached out with His hand and touched my mouth and said to me: “Now I have put My words in your mouth.”  One of the seraphim touched Isaiah’s mouth with a burning coal taken from the altar but here Yahweh Himself touched Jeremiah’s mouth.  With Isaiah it is a sign of the purification of his lips from sin; here it is God’s impartation of both revelation and authority to Jeremiah to speak the message God gave him to speak.  God promised Jeremiah that He put all His words in Jeremiah’s mouth that he will ever need.  Today, because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and the blessings we have all received, God still can put His words in the mouths of His true prophets.  As Peter said, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”